Author: Nagata Shachu

Oni Gongen

Date Composed:1995Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:October 13, 2006 - Al Green Theatre In Japan, ONI are at once both ogres and gods, sent among us to dispel and purify the evil which is found in the world. At ceremonies and festivals throughout Japan, people will don the...

O-Sawagi

Date Composed: 2011 Composer: Kiyoshi Nagata Arrangement: Kiyoshi Nagata Premiere Performance: November 18, 2011 - Fleck Dance Theatre Seven drummers play boisterously with wild abandon. Having fun without thinking…this is the true meaning of O-Sawagi. ...

Sei Gai Ha

Date Composed:2009Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 27, 2009 - Al Green Theatre, TorontoRecording Title:Iroha Live Concert DVD A boundless ocean. Unending waves. Sometimes quiet, sometimes raging. Her rich expression has inspired us for centuries. Our ancestors saw fortune in the waves which opened up like fans, endless...

Sarusuberi

Date Composed:2010Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 5, 2010 - Fleck Dance TheatreRecording Title:Iroha Live Concert DVD For 100 days, Crape Myrtle continues to blossom through summer until autumn; thus it is named “100 Days Crimson” – SARUSUBERI. Its crimson colour is strikingly beautiful against the blue summer...

Orbit

Date Composed: 2007 Composer: Aki Takahashi Arrangement: Aki Takahashi Premiere Performance: December 1, 2007 - Ryerson Theatre Recording Title: Tsuzure CD / 10th Anniversary Concert DVD We turn continually, almost imperceptibly, locked in a timeless cosmic dance. Like the hands of a clock which move through the hours of each day, or the calendar which...

Nishiki

Date Composed:2010Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 5, 2010 - Fleck Dance TheatreRecording Title:Iroha Live Concert DVD NISHIKI is a word to describe the most beautiful scenery with a multitude of colours. Each performer adds his or her colour to create one vigorous brilliant song. ...

Nengetsu no Nagare

Date Composed:2001Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Kiyoshi NagataPremiere Performance:November 9, 2002 - Hart House TheatreRecording Title:Koku CD / 10th Anniversary Concert DVD A dreamlike introduction featuring a set of orugoru bells, hyotan (gourd shakers), hyoshigi (wooden clappers) and chappa, sets the tone for this piece. The main body of this...

Nebuta Daiko

Date Composed:1994Composer:Kiyoshi NagataArrangement:Kiyoshi NagataPremiere Performance:November 28, 1998 - Music GalleryRecording Title:Stone Path CD The nebuta daiko, whose skins are made from horsehide, originates from the Nebuta Festival held in Japan’s northern Aomori Prefecture every August. The smaller nebuta daiko are very lightweight, allowing it to be...

Naki Bachi

Date Composed:2007Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:September 29, 2007 - Saugetuck Centre for the Arts, MI Northern Japan, where the winters are most severe, is the home of “Tsugaru Jamisen”, a large and robust style of SHAMISEN (three stringed lute). The sound of the shamisen is both percussive...

Kyara

Date Composed:2010Composer:Aki TakahashiArrangement:Aki TakahashiPremiere Performance:November 5, 2010 - Fleck Dance TheatreRecording Title:Iroha Live Concert DVD KYARA is an important ingredient in Japanese incense. This indescribable aroma is born from the soil. Buried beneath the earth, it takes many years to transform soft raw lumber into hard,...